U.S. Ships to Carry Dispiaced Persons to America; Visas Will Be Issued in U.S. Zone Only

The War Shipping Administration will provide Victory ships for two sailings a month between a German port and New York to carry displaced persons from the U.S. zone in Germany to the United States, in accordance with President Truman’s directives allowing the entrance of 3,900 persons monthly under the existing quota regulations.

Action on the President’s directives was mapped out on Friday by representatives of all the government agencies which are to implement Mr. Truman’s order. As a result, it was reported here today that U.S. offices for the issuance of visas to displaced persons will be opened soon in Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt-am-Main, Munich, Stuttgart and Bremen. Ugo Carusi, U.S. Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization, and Howard K. Travers, Chief of the Passport Division of the State Department, will leave for Germany to put President Truman’s order into effect.

Relief organizations in the United States interested in bringing in displaced persons under the 3,900 monthly quota, will have to pay approximately $125 fare for each immigrant, should the latter not be able to pay his own fare in American currency. They will also have to guarantee that the immigrants will not become a public burden upon their arrival in this country.

It was stated here today that the visas will be issued, for the time being, only in the U.S. zone, where there are about 500,000 displaced persons. Of the 3,900 visas to be granted monthly about 2,500 will go to people born in Germany, while the remainder will be distributed among displaced persons born in Poland, Hungary, Rumania, Yugoslavia and Bulgaria. The total visas to be issued for refugees from Poland- Jewish and non-Jewish-will not exceed 700 a month.